CNNSI.com - SI For Women - 100 Greatest Female Athletes

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Use the menu below to read our biographies of the century's greatest sportswomen and then tell us who you think should be No. 1. Also, be sure to check out our expanded home page and our new issue which is on newsstands now.

81. Lynette Woodard, Basketball

1959-
Scored the most career points in the history of women's college basketball

Woodard spent two seasons with the Harlem Globetrotters. John Iacono
Dominating is the only way to describe Lynette Woodard's play during her four seasons at Kansas (1977 to '81). In her freshman year she made an immediate impact, leading the nation in rebounding (14.8 per game) and coming in second in scoring (25.2 points per game). She earned Kodak All-America honors in each of her collegiate seasons and won the 1981 Wade Trophy, which honored the country's most outstanding player of the year. Woodard was named to the 1980 Olympic squad, but did not compete due to the U.S. boycott of those Games. Two years later, however, Woodard was a member the U.S. national team that broke the Soviet Union's 24-year winning streak in international competition. At the 1984 Los Angeles Games (which the Soviets boycotted), Woodard at last won Olympic gold as captain of the national team, defeating South Korea in the final.

After Los Angeles, Woodard found herself without a team. Determined to have a career in basketball, she attended several tryout camps for the Harlem Globetrotters. In October 1985, she became the newest member of the squad. Woodard spent two seasons travelling with the Globetrotters before playing in Italy (1987 to '89) and Japan (1990 to '93). In 1997, Woodard signed on as one of the first members of the WNBA when she was drafted ninth overall by the Cleveland Rockers. She spent the 1998 season with the Detroit Shock before retiring and returning to her alma mater as a special assistant with the athletic department.

They said it: "Thank God the opportunities were there at the right time. You prepare, you work hard at it, you practice. You shoot your best shot." --Woodard

--Gil Lopez

Athletes were selected by Sports Illustrated For Women, Sports Illustrated and CNN/SI editors, writers and correspondents who considered the athletes' on-field performance and achievements, plus their contributions to women's sports. Because athletic achievement was a key criterion, women whose contributions were made solely in administration and coaching are not included.